"We basically have an interest in seeing it before they change it.” - Diner Sherri Spizzirri of Lower Paxton Township

Diners are sitting down for their final good-byes in The Circular Dining Room.

Many are raising a toast; others ordering lobster bisque and roasted spiced venison loin. Mainly, they are paying a visit to the historic restaurant in The Hotel Hershey in Hershey for nostalgic reasons.

“We basically have an interest in seeing it before they change it,” said Sherri Spizzirri of Lower Paxton Twp.

She and her boyfriend, Dale Eberly of Mount Joy, joined for breakfast at the restaurant on a recent Friday and sat at a table next to one of the dining room’s expansive stained glass windows.

Come Jan. 2 the Circular Dining Room will close; the square tables and upholstered chairs will be hauled off for an online auction. Workman will descend on the 230-seat dining room to begin three months of renovations.

Since news of the dining room’s makeover was announced last month, the Circular Dining Room has witnessed an uptick in business, said John Daly, the restaurant’s food and beverage director.

“They are coming back to experience it before it closes,” he said.

The reservation books are nearly filled through the end of the year, ending with a New Year’s Eve party with dancing and a live band. To accommodate the demand, the dining room has expanded its hours opening nearly every night, Daly said.

View full sizeRosemarie Bell, of Swatara Twp., sets up the lunch buffet at the Circular Dining Room at the Hotel Hershey.
DAN GLEITER, The Patriot-News/2011

Sunday brunch is sold out. So is the popular Friday chef’s table. The final meal will be breakfast served New Year’s Day.

Jason and Jessica Reimer of Lower Paxton Twp. dined at the Circular Dining Room earlier this month for one final hurrah. The couple were engaged at the nearby Hershey Gardens — the place of their first date —and have celebrated special occasions in the hotel’s dining room.

“The Circular Dining Room always had a special place between my wife and I so we wanted to go back one more time,” Jason Reimer said.

He said it is the type of dining experience everyone should experience. Reimer said he is saddened to see the restaurant change, but sees it as a smart business move on Hershey’s part.

When the restaurant re-opens in April, it will be called The Circular. Gone will be the formality and linen covered tables, replaced with a upscale casual vibe more suitable for 2013.

Diners will be able to stop in for shared plates of appetizers and cocktails, or full entrees including steaks and seafood. It’s a change Hershey Entertainment & Resorts Co. carefully considered.

Hershey Entertainment’s newly appointed chief executive officer William F. Simpson Jr. said the decision to revamp the historic restaurant came about after working with consultants and looking at what similar hotels around the country are doing with their restaurants.

The Circular Dining Room sees a steady business for breakfasts and brunch but dinner has remained soft as guests no longer want to invest 2 1/2 hours on a meal, Simpson said.

Last year the restaurant shed its long-held policy of requiring men to wear jackets and ties in the restaurant. Sport jackets for men are now optional, and resort casual attire, including denim, is acceptable.

Designer Shea Inc. of Minnesota, a company which has worked with celebrity chef Rick Bayless, has the difficult task of redesigning the iconic dining room. Milton S. Hershey built the prestigious restaurant in his signature hotel in the midst of the Great Depression in 1933.

It is said that in his travels, Hershey noticed that guests who didn’t tip well were placed in a corner with a poor view of the room. He insisted his restaurant be one without a bad seat, so it was designed without any angles.

Daly said many diners have voiced concern the restaurant will lose some of its historic integrity. Some have even questioned if the dining room’s curved shape will be replaced with a square, he added.

The dining room’s shape will remain the same. So will the original light fixtures and the stained glass windows depicting scenes of Pennsylvania wildlife. The color scheme will change and the furniture will be replaced with American-made tables and chairs.

“I can tell you it will be a lot warmer. Comfortable,” said Megan Shaffer, spokeswoman. “It will be more modern but still speak to the vintage era.”

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